Boutte Beats The Odds, Porter Remains Grounded

The world of professional sports is grappling with the increasing prevalence of athlete gambling, but one player has managed to evade serious consequences. The Associated Press reported Tuesday night that Kayshon Boutte, a wide receiver for the New England Patriots, has had underage gambling and computer fraud charges dropped by the state of Louisiana.

Boutte’s arrest this past January stemmed from allegations of illegal sports betting while playing for LSU. Despite being a full participant in the Patriots’ spring practices, the team and the league maintained a watchful eye on the situation.

An NFL spokesperson confirmed that the league has been closely monitoring developments and that the matter remains under review. However, for now, Boutte is free to continue his NFL career without facing league-imposed sanctions.

Louisiana State Police uncovered a significant amount of betting activity linked to Boutte between April 2022 and May 2023. Investigators found that he placed over 8,900 wagers, including at least 17 bets on NCAA football games. All of them were placed while Boutte was still not of legal gambling age.

At least six of these bets involved LSU, according to police. Interestingly, Boutte’s wagering continued for about a week after he was drafted, despite the NFL’s gambling policy that allows players to bet on sports but not on anything related to the league.

He apparently had an affinity for FanDuel and BET99 (the latter legal in parts of Canada but not the U.S.), and he has agreed to self-exclude from the platforms as part of his deal. To circumvent age restrictions the sportsbooks have in place, Boutte allegedly used a fake name to open a betting account.

Jontay Porter asks for leniency

In contrast to Boutte’s fortunate outcome, other athletes have faced severe penalties for similar offenses. Jontay Porter, now a former NBA player, was dealt a lifetime ban and federal charges for his involvement in a betting scandal.

Now, Porter is seeking leniency to resume his basketball career overseas.

Porter, having admitted guilt to a federal conspiracy charge related to wire fraud, was released on a $250,000 bond. As a condition of his release, he was required to surrender his passport.

Seeking to resume his basketball career, Porter’s legal counsel filed a request to modify the terms of his bond. The request aimed to allow Porter to travel to Greece and play for the Promitheas Patras BC basketball team. This would necessitate the return of his passport and permission to reside in Greece.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Pretrial Services Officer reportedly had no objections to these requests. However, the judge overseeing the case did. Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall rejected the request.

Porter will now stay in the U.S. and return to court for a December hearing. He’s looking at possibly 41-51 months in prison, according to the standard sentencing guidelines. However, there’s a possibility that he could receive only a fine.

Leagues face betting challenges

The situations highlight the challenges faced by sports leagues in policing player behavior. While the NFL’s gambling policy permits athletes to bet on sports, wagering on any league-related activity is strictly prohibited.

Boutte’s alleged bets on NCAA football games, including multiple LSU contests, raised serious concerns. The NFL may still take action at the conclusion of its investigation, possibly through a suspension, fine, or ban.

For the NBA, players, coaches, and team employees are prohibited from betting on any NBA games, including those involving their own team. This prohibition extends to the WNBA, G-League, and NBA Summer League.